World-class car racing round canceled amid threats from N. Korea

Amid continued tensions on the Korean Peninsula caused by North Korea’s missile threats, the Super Grand Touring Car Championship, an international car racing championship to be held in South Korea, was canceled. The racing championship was scheduled to be held in Yeongam, South Jeolla Province on May 18 and 19.

Japan GT Association (GTA), the organizer of the Super GT race, has said on its Internet homepage Thursday night that the Super GT Korea will be postponed tentatively. The association added that it would continue to cooperate with Woo Myung Holdings, the promoter of Super GT’s Korean round, on whether to hold the race in the future.

The Super GT is a major motor sports championship that is one of the world’s top-three touring car races together with the FIA GT1 World Championship and the German Touring Car Masters. The Super GT holds 10 rounds annually in which racers compete in commercial vehicles that are modified in accordance with the championship’s regulations. About 800 drivers and staff members of around 30 teams from Europe and Japan, including BMW, Porsche, Lamborghini, Ferrari, Lexus and Honda, were expected to participate in the Super GT Korea, which was scheduled to be held in Korea as a non-series event.

A motor sports official said that some racing teams in Japan protested to GTA about safety in South Korea, expressing concern over threats from North Korea and saying that they would participate if their safety was not guaranteed. Despite rounds of discussions, the teams and the GTA failed to reach an agreement, the official noted.

“We will immediately refund tickets that have already been sold and ask for sponsors’ understanding,” said an official at Super GT Korea. “As soon as the situation calms down, we will renegotiate with Super GT to hold the race.”

uni@donga.com